Tarique Rahman Pays Emotional Tribute to Khaleda Zia as Bangladesh Mourns Loss of Former Prime Minister

Dhaka, Dec 2025 : Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday paid a deeply emotional tribute to his mother, BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, remembering her as a devoted mother, steadfast political leader, and a symbol of democratic resistance whose life was dedicated to the nation and its people.

Khaleda Zia passed away early Tuesday morning after a prolonged illness, the BNP confirmed. She was 80. According to a party statement, she breathed her last at around 6 a.m. at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she had been undergoing treatment for more than a month. In recognition of her towering political stature, the BNP announced a seven-day mourning programme across the country.

In a heartfelt message posted on social media platform X, Tarique Rahman described his mother as both a national leader and a deeply caring parent. “My mother, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, has responded to the call of Almighty Allah and left us today,” he wrote. “To many, she was the leader of the nation, an uncompromising leader, the Mother of Democracy, the Mother of Bangladesh. Today, the country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations.”

Sharing personal reflections, Rahman said that beyond politics, Khaleda Zia was a loving mother who carried the burdens of both family and nation with quiet strength. “To me, Khaleda Zia was a tender and loving mother who devoted her entire life to the country and its people,” he said. He recalled her unwavering stand against authoritarianism, fascism, and external domination, noting that she consistently led movements aimed at restoring democracy and safeguarding Bangladesh’s sovereignty.

Rahman also highlighted the immense hardships his mother endured over decades of political struggle. He said Khaleda Zia faced repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution but never allowed suffering to diminish her resolve. “Even in pain, confinement, and uncertainty, she never stopped sheltering her family with courage and compassion,” he wrote. “Her resilience was not loud, but it was unbreakable.”

Emphasising the personal sacrifices she made for the nation, Rahman noted that Khaleda Zia lost her husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, to assassination, and later suffered the loss of a child. “In that loss, this nation and its people became her family, her purpose, her very soul,” he said, adding that her legacy of patriotism, sacrifice, and resistance would continue to inspire Bangladesh’s democratic conscience.

Concluding his message, Rahman appealed to the public to pray for his mother and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support. “For the profound emotion, love, and respect shown by the people of this country and by the world, my family and I remain eternally grateful,” he said.

Following Khaleda Zia’s death, the BNP Standing Committee convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon to determine the party’s future course of action. The meeting was presided over by Tarique Rahman and held at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office in Dhaka. Several senior leaders, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, and Nazrul Islam Khan, attended the session, according to reports in the Dhaka Tribune.

Khaleda Zia’s funeral ceremony is scheduled to be held in Dhaka on Wednesday. In a mark of respect, the interim government has announced a three-day state mourning period along with a general holiday on Wednesday to honour the former Prime Minister, underscoring her enduring impact on Bangladesh’s political history.